act as if you could add at least five years to their ages.”
“I can’t imagine what it’ll be like when our baby is that age. Seems so far away but I’m sure it’s gone by quickly to you.”
My best friend, guilt, stands up and makes itself present at her statement. It is true that time flies with kids. You can blink and years have flown by. I wish I could tell her that it was a difficult adjustment. Sadly, I missed a lot of time with my children. Sure, I was with them as often as I could be, making a point to rise with them every morning. But, it was the days and nights that I missed so much.
Milestones as toddlers were captured on video and sent to my phone while nightmares and monsters were battled by our nanny, Mrs. Honeycutt. As much as I resent my ex-husband for demanding I be by his side instead of at home with our children, I was as much to blame for being sucked into that world. Consumed by the glitz and glamour money afforded us only to sacrifice the two most important people in our life.
“Time does fly, that’s for sure. I wish I could speed up time for Clem, get her through these pre-teen and teen years. She’s struggling with some bullying and her self-confidence has hit a real low. Meanwhile, Jacob loves everything about life. He’s such a happy boy, content with his science experiments and watching baseball with my dad on television.”
“I’m sorry for your daughter,” Gigi says, sitting back in her seat. “It must be hard for kids these days. Not that it was easy when we were young, but things have become so dark. Plus, kids seem so much smarter than we were. I mean, their vocabulary alone is ridiculous.”
We all laugh because she isn’t wrong. Sometimes I listen to my kids and am amazed at the things they know. When I was Jacob’s age, I was more interested in sleepovers, what outfit to dress my doll in, or if my dad would be taking me fishing on the weekend. That was when life was simple. When everyone was friends and there weren’t cliques or mean girls. I mean, I’m sure there were other places but not here in Lexington. There was a time when everyone got along. Then our small town had its very own mean girl. Me.
“Uh-oh. Did I upset you?” Gigi asks, resting her hand atop mine.
“What?”
“You look upset. I’m sorry if I overstepped or said something to upset you.”
With a small smile I shake my head, “Not at all. I was just remembering something. Anyway, my kids are fantastic. Of course, I have my parents and Mrs. Honeycutt to thank for that. They have been such a blessing to us.”
“Mrs. Honeycutt is?” Brian asks between bites of his third . . . nope, fourth piece of pizza. Good grief.
“A family friend. My husband and I split a few years ago and it was hard on all of us. But, without all of them and their support, I wouldn’t have been able to go to school and I wouldn’t be sitting here. So, I’m forever grateful to each of them.”
“Maybe we should get them a pizza to thank them,” my new boss teases, and we all laugh.
The rest of the day is fast-paced and while I’m still learning some of the programs on the computer, all in all it’s been a great first week of work. I wave to Brian across the parking lot before climbing into my car and cranking the ignition. Before I pull out of the space, I pull up my mom’s number on my phone and wait for her answer.
“Mom! Can I spend the night at Kyle’s? His mom said it was fine. Don’t worry, she’s not going on a date, so she’ll be there.”
I laugh at my son’s enthusiasm. “Hello, Jacob. My day was great, thanks for asking.”
With an exaggerated sigh, he repeats a standard greeting and asks how my day was. “It was good. Now, what is this about Kyle’s?”
“A sleepover. He got a new set of Legos and we’re going to build a mega fort before we bulldoze it. It’s going to be awesome.”
Grateful the phone isn’t to my ear and on speaker instead, I cringe at the decibel he’s speaking. “You don’t have to shout. I’m fine with it. Let me text Kyle’s mom to confirm. Can you get your bag together?”
“Already done. You’re the